Josefina Chicas

Syllabification, Stressing and Vowels in English

● What is different about the syllabification of words in sung English from that of
spoken English?
○ In singing, we must pronounce consonants with the appropriate syllable. In
speech we put them with the second syllable. Therefore, we divide the syllables in
words differently when we sing versus when we speak.
● How many stressed syllables are common in the English language?
○ There are four syllables.
● What is unstressing?
○ Unstressing is when you don’t emphasize or accent a part of a word.
● What are the pure vowels in English?
○ A pure vowel is a sound that can be sustained indefinitely without the movement
of articulators.
○ Forward Vowels?
■ [ɨ] [ɪ] [ɛ] [æ]
○ Central Vowels?
■ [ʌ] [ə] [ɝ] [ɚ]
○ Back Vowels?
■ [u] [ʊ] [ɔ] [ɑ]
● What are the 2 neutral vowels in English?
○ [ʌ] and [ə].
● What are the two "r-colored" vowels in English?
○ [ɝ] and [ɚ].
● What is the two-step solution for articulating r-colored vowels in Sung English?
○ Step One: Drop the r-color from your articulation of [ɝ] [ɚ].
○ Step Two: Increase the rounding of your lips slightly just as you release the sound
of [ɜ] or [ə].
● What are diphthongs?
○ A diphthong is a vowel unit made up of two pure vowels with the acoustic results
being perceived as a single unit.
● How many diphthongs are there in English?
○ There are six diphthongs.